Forest landscape plans (FLPs) establish clear outcomes for the management of forest resource values within defined areas, such as old forests, biodiversity, ecosystem health, climate change, watershed health and wildfire risk.

Through collaborative planning and improved stewardship tools, FLPs ultimately increase the stability and predictability of a sustainable timber supply to support communities and the forest sector.

FLPs must align with higher-level landscape plans. Land Use Orders set strategic objectives for land use and resource management, through legal orders established under the Land Act.

To ensure that the Lakes Resiliency FLP adheres to the Land Use Orders of the Lakes Timber Supply Area (TSA), the Ministry of Forests has been working collaboratively with Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship on Land Use Objectives Regulation (LUOR) amendments.

Updating the LUOR for Lakes TSA was not only essential to complete the FLP draft in adherence, but to reflect changing biodiversity objectives due to evolving science and to reflect the ecology of the landscape. Old targets in the LUOR were set 30 years ago and do not reflect its current status. New amendments will allow for increased stand retention to protect ecosystems and better mitigate wildfire risks.

LUOR Amendments: Key changes proposed

1. Seral stage definition

Seral stage describes a distinct phase of forest development that occurs within the natural process of ecological succession following a disturbance. After events such as a wildfire or harvesting, the area gradually changes over time from bare ground with moss to grassland, then to shrubs and eventually into a mature forest. Each of these steps is a seral stage, with the mature forest representing the climax stage.

The planning area includes two major biogeoclimatic ecosystem zones: Englemann spruce subalpine fir (ESSF) and sub‑boreal Spruce (SBS). The ESSF ecosystem transitions from the lower elevation SBS ecosystem.

The two ecosystems currently use different age thresholds to define mature and old forests. In the SBS zone, forests are considered mature at more than 100 years old and old at more than 140 years. In the ESSF zone, forests are considered mature at more than 120 years and old at more than 250 years.

New seral stage definitions are being proposed to replace definitions from the 1995 biodiversity guidebook. These updated definitions use more recent information and would make the age definitions the same for both ESSF and SBS ecosystems. The revised seral stage definitions explicitly recognize and account for the ecotonal characteristics of the ESSF BEC zone. Ecotonal meaning the transitional area where two distinct ecological areas meet and overlap.

Under the proposed changes, forests in both ecosystems would be classified as mature at 80 years old and old at 140 years.

2. Seral stage targets

Seral stage distribution refers to the proportion and spatial arrangement of forest area across different seral stages within a defined landscape. This objective is to make sure there is a healthy mix of young, mature and old forests within each landscape unit and biogeoclimatic zone.

Accordingly, seral stage distributions were redefined to reflect natural disturbance patterns of a fire-based ecosystem as found within the Lakes TSA.

3. Stand-level retention

Stand-level retention focuses on retaining key ecological structures, habitat features and riparian areas within harvested areas to retain biological characteristics and improve habitat quality in regenerating stands.

Feedback from First Nations highlighted the importance of increasing wildlife tree retention. The proposed amendment increases the Wildlife Tree Retention Area amount and harmonizes it across the TSA rather than varying by ecosystem.

4. Patch size distribution

Patch size distribution measures how much of the landscape is occupied by very early seral stages, defined as areas 20 years old or younger. The distribution of patch size in forest disturbances is a critical aspect of forest management and biodiversity conservation.

Current practices have created a fragmented landscape that is more susceptible to natural disturbance. The proposed patch size distribution aims to reduce fragmentation and reflect natural disturbance patterns of a fire-based ecosystem as found within the Lakes TSA.

5. Old growth and connectivity

Old growth management areas (OGMAs) are areas set aside to help meet targets for old forests. These areas include forests of many different ages, and many do not meet the current definition of old forest. Younger forests within OGMAs are usually the result of natural events, such as wildfire or mountain pine beetle outbreaks. Mid-aged and mature forests were intentionally included so they can grow into old forest over time

The landscape connectivity matrix (LCM) is a network of forest corridors designed to keep wildlife habitat connected throughout the landscape. While it supports connectivity, the LCM creates operational challenges, including limits on dead timber salvage and reduced ability to manage wildfire risk.

Under the LUORs and FLP framework, both OGMAs and the LCM will be replaced by the Lakes biodiversity matrix. This new approach is intended to maintain important habitat areas and landscape connectivity, while providing greater flexibility to manage wildfire risk and respond to natural disturbances.

The biodiversity matrix will be guided by clear objectives, targets and rules that define what activities are allowed. This will help licensees manage large‑scale natural disturbances while still meeting biodiversity goals.

FLP draft: Key strategies proposed

The draft FLP defines key strategies for forest management in Lakes TSA:

1. Cultural well-being

The cultural well-being strategies addresses First Nations’ cultural relationships and practices on the landscape. Ensuring that there are healthy ecosystems that support food, social, ceremonial and economic needs.

2. Landscape ecosystem health and resilience

The landscape ecosystem health and resilience strategies aim to address forests that have become too fragmented, too uniform and lacking the natural mix of ages and ecosystem diversity.

The strategies guide a shift toward landscape patterns that reflect natural processes. This is accomplished by strengthening ecosystems, improving forest connectivity, rebalancing seral stages and allowing for longer recovery periods following a disturbance. They use a connectivity matrix to support a more dynamically managed forest, recognizing uncertainty through adaptive management and ongoing learning, while prioritizing natural processes and important ecological and cultural values.

3. Wildfire resilience

Wildfire resilience strategies respond to the concerns of increasing size and intensity of wildfires by proactively shaping forest conditions in key areas of the landbase. Rather than trying to suppress a fire entirely, these strategies focus on reducing extreme fire behaviour and improving response opportunities. This is done by managing forest fuels, adjusting harvesting and regeneration practices, and working with natural landscape features to slow fire spread. This approach is especially important given the legacy of fuel buildup from past disturbances and the growing influence of climate change on wildfire behaviour in the planning area.

4. Aquatics, Wetlands and Riparian Habitat

The Aquatics, Wetlands and Riparian Habitat strategies focus on protecting and restoring water-dependent ecosystems that have been heavily affected by insects, wildfire, roads and salvage activities. These strategies prioritize maintaining near natural hydrology, stream stability, water quality, fish passage and wetland function. They also place strong emphasis on working directly with First Nations to identify and protect culturally important aquatic and riparian areas. This ensures that watershed health and cultural stewardship are addressed alongside forest and wildfire management.

5. Wildlife Habitat

The Wildlife Habitat strategies are focused on maintaining healthy, connected and resilient ecosystems over the long-term.  This is done by providing direction on road and forest development so that these activities do not fragment habitat or degrade the environment, which changes animal movement. The strategies will prioritize management for these values as a practical way to reduce industrial impact while still allowing harvest opportunities.

6. Visual Quality

The Visual Quality strategies guide how forest activities should look so they blend naturally with the landscape. In areas like the Lakes TSA, where wildfire and other large-scale natural disturbances are common, visible changes to the landscape are a normal part of ecosystem dynamics. Rather than trying to maintain a uniform or undisturbed appearance, these approaches recognize that change is inherent in fire-driven systems and instead focus on designing forest practices that reflect natural patterns and processes.

7. Range

The range strategies keep rangelands and forests healthy, while supporting livestock, wildlife and forestry. They ensure grazing stays within what the land can naturally recover from, protecting soil, water and plant health.

They also maintain diverse, connected habitats for wildlife and co-ordinates grazing with forest activities. In addition, the strategies work to prevent invasive plants from spreading from activities like harvesting, hauling and ground disturbance by focusing on early detection and quick response.

8. Soil

The soil strategies are about protecting soil as the foundation of healthy forests and ecosystems. They guide forest activities to limit soil damage like compaction, erosion and disruption of natural water movement. This is especially important in sensitive, unstable or wet soils because keeping soils intact helps support plant growth and protects long‑term productivity.

The strategies also focus on protecting wetlands, riparian soils and natural drainage to keep water clean and flowing properly. They reduce long‑term impacts by limiting new roads, sharing access where possible and restoring or closing old roads that affect soil and water function. By combining careful planning, monitoring and Indigenous knowledge, the strategies support healthy soils, clean water, wildlife habitat and resilient ecosystems over time.

9. Timber and Harvesting Levels

The timber supply strategies focus on maintaining a sustainable and resilient supply of timber in the Lakes TSA, while responding to climate change, past disturbances and current forest conditions. They guide where and how harvesting takes place, so that productive forest land is maintained over the long term.

Under the FLP, this is achieved through a flexible, landscape-level approach that maintains access to a broad harvestable land base and manages harvesting within objectives for old forest retention, disturbance patterns and wildfire resilience, resulting in a projected sustainable harvest level of approximately 620,255 cubic metres of green timber across the FLP area.

Together, these strategies highlight key priorities within the forest landscape plan and demonstrate how the plan is responding to the most significant risks and values in a highly disturbed and fire-affected landscape.